Prasad P. Mahale: Bringing Excellence to Students by Online Courses and Certifications

Online education has evolved over the last few years and has been embraced by the mainstream students. Inside such a setup, a leaner can monitor his/her learning environment, which ultimately helps to gain a deeper understanding of the relevant degree course. Not to mention, new models of learning are always evolving on the market, presenting students with a range of opportunities to turn their curriculum into something that suits them, not the other way around.

Our next influencer has focused on the same and has developed an online blog for students to learn as per their own time and pace. Let’s hear from Prasad P. Mahale, Assistant Professor of the Computer Engineering Department at R. C. Patel Institute of Technology.

Please introduce yourself and your journey as an educator, to our readers, and also tell us what inspired you to pursue this career?

Hello readers, my name is Prof. Prasad P. Mahale working as an Assistant Professor as a part of the Computer Engineering Department at R. C. Patel Institute of Technology since Jan 2011. I have completed my post-graduation in Information Technology with 79% as well as completed my graduation in Computer Engineering with distinction. I have attended several technical workshops/webinars, published books, number of papers published in reputed journals as well as completed many technical courses. I created a blog which helps students to learn more about various subjects, including topics, presentations, slides, assignments, university question papers along with solutions, books, lab manuals, project exhibition, etc. All the materials are available free of cost on the blog so that anybody can access the required material at any time. That motivates students to take active participation in technical and non-technical events and college rewarding them by publishing their achievements on the college website and through that blog. With several subjects being taught, I am a part of co-curricular & extra-curricular events arranged for students. Teaching is the most honest profession within the world. This profession comes with an enormous amount of responsibility. It requires rediscovering creativity, while you are following a curriculum with a positive learning outcome to empower students to figure education on their terms. It is also making a difference, getting back your spark, and securing a student’s future.

Tell us more about how you help aspiring engineers achieve their dreams and ambitions.

Desire and dreams are the most significant jewel of our life. In the event that we don’t have aspirations in our life, we wouldn’t have the option to accomplish anything. Not having dreams resembles following imperceptible shadow. So, a few aspects we need to focus:

Be Optimistic: To be optimistic that having an awful day does not mean that your complete existence is going to be wrong. You must know that the things did not go as planned. In such situations, the pessimist would give up, but the optimist will simply identify the problem and implement the necessary action to regulate the plan and get back on course to obtain their objective.
Be realistic: This is an excellent approach because it will help us to decide on facts, not on ‘rights’ or ‘wrong’ but on idealistic notions as to how things ‘should’ and ‘ought’ to be.
Choose a meaningful problem: Endeavour to solve the challenge that you are enthusiastic about and for which achievement will improve the world into a better place. Recognize the issue, organize the given topic, and lead your analysis.
Goal setting: One of the most practical ways to achieve multiple goals simultaneously, without being too overwhelmed, is by prioritizing. Start by making an inventory of all of your objectives and getting inputs from your peers and mentors, then sort those goals into categories by urgency. It’s important to line clear and specific goals, determine a timeline for an equivalent, and layout an in-depth plan of action.

3. Pertaining to your experience of more than 9 years as an assistant professor, how according to you has engineering education developed and improved over time?

At the existing times, we are witnessing a lot of technological changes. These changes, however, have no longer been properly used by engineers to revamp the entire field in the existing scenario. The previous engineering syllabus only contains a traditional part of technology. But in the 21^st century, new platforms created to learn e.g., MOOCS, online courses, IIT workshops, NPTEL, etc. It is important that with the shifting of emphasis in industrial production and engineering education from the good old traditional and conventional fields to the more sophisticated areas of new emerging technologies, the application of High Technology has extended to such diversified and specialized branches of modern engineering. Now requirements are changing as per expectations so as the new emerging trends of technology encouraging society to develop more. We need to face new challenges, cater to problem statement design, and adopt new technology to meet goals.

What is your opinion on the necessity for skill development within the upcoming generation of engineers, to be in line with the industry requirements?

As we know that the job market has changed a lot in the past decade, technology is likewise increasing at its highest peak. The recent emergence of Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Cloud-Based and Quantum Computing, Data Science, Robotics etc. require a need to improvise by adding certain courses in the curriculum by taking the initiative to add extra courses. Alongside, this communication skill and soft skill also makes a profound influence. Also, the engineering aspects need to focus e.g. understand problems, social problems, clarify logic, able to prepare good problem statements, make analysis, prepare communication, good documentation, the scope of the problem defined, ways of implementation etc. By making the individual complete certain online courses/certification on the industry level. These are certain steps that one can take to accomplish the upcoming generation of engineers to be in line with the industry requirements.

As an educator, what challenges have you faced while building your career in the education domain?

A teacher can be a good role model for the student who can inspire them to live a better life in various means. But, we have to face some challenges as an educator:

Lack of time for planning.
Balancing diverse learning needs.
Changing educational trends.
Lack of resources (urban Area).
Teachers are working too many roles at the same time.
Educators need to learn to value both tradition and innovation.

6. What would be your advice to aspiring to become educators in the engineering studies domain?

“A good teacher, like a good entertainer, first must hold his audience’s attention, then he can teach his lesson.” – John Clarke

I always follow this quote in my journey of being a teacher. Be an educator needs to make harmonious learning conditions and to keep up the positive relationship among students, educators, and administrators. Energize co-activity and shared help by getting the student to concentrate cooperatively. We need to consolidate specialized skill, expertise, and expectation alongside insight. Focus on the process of development, understand industry requirement and prepare students for the new challenges.

What have you envisioned for career growth in the near future?

Computer Engineers have been continuing growth over the past few years and there is no sign of stopping. Software Developers are more creative in their design as they often work closely with graphic designers who are responsible for creating the entire customer story and designing an experience around the company’s product and how it will be used. Few career paths will help to get ready for future needs.